Partnership news

November 2022: This paper investigates differences in modified-return-to work (MRTW) after a work-related injury by immigration characteristics – defined as a Canadian-born worker versus a worker who immigrated via the economic, family member or refugee/other humanitarian classification. Immigrant workers who arrived to Canada as a family member or as a refugee/other immigrant had a reduced odds of MRTW within the first 30 days of work disability for a back strain, concussion and limb fracture, compared to Canadian-born workers. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

October 2022: Abstracts are now being accepted for podium presentations, ignite talks, and posters on occupational, environmental, or population health topics for the Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health, January 5-6, 2023, at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, WA. The conference will feature four cross-institution, cross-disciplinary themes (precarious work & work organization, climate change, wildfires, and the built environment) as well as presentations from across the fields of environmental, occupational, and population health.

September 2022: The BC Heritage Labour Centre is dedicating a memorial to honour the victims of asbestos exposure on September 22 at 10 am at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. The memorial is being installed with the support of the Province of BC, PavCo, and WorkSafeBC.

September 2022: PWHS co-lead Mieke Koehoorn, research associate Robert Macpherson, postdoctoral fellow Sonja Senthanar, and researcher Andrea Jones are giving presentations on health and employment outcomes for immigrant workers, healthcare workers’ preference to continue remote work after the pandemic, claim rates for in- vs out-of-province workers, and the effect of COR on workplace safety at the Canadian Association for Research in Work and Health (CARWH) bi-annual conference, September 15-16, 2022.

September 2022: The annual Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health Conference will re-launch January 5-6, 2023 at the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, WA. Please save the date and stay tuned for more information!

July 2022: Listen to Chris McLeod describe the methodology we used in assessing how the COR™ program affected lost-time and high-impact injury rates in Ontario in the IHSA Safety Podcast. In this discussion, Paul Casey of Ontario’s Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) also shares what prompted IHSA to engage with PWHS.

July 2022: The Canadian Association for Research in Work and Health (CARWH) is taking place online September 15-16, 2022, with the theme “The Changing World of Work, Health and Research.” This year, attendance will be free to all. Abstract submissions for oral and poster presentations are welcome, and the deadline for submissions is extended to Friday, July 22.

June 2022: PWHS and the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) are looking for public transport workers ages 35 and under to participate in our research project to better understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on young workers and their workplace mental health.

June 2022: This paper examines the impact of pre-existing anxiety and depression disorders on return to work using a phase-based approach. Findings suggest that workers with a pre-existing anxiety disorder may require additional supports both during lost-time and after initial return to work. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

May 2022: Co-director Chris McLeod presented findings showing COR leads to safer workplaces at the Ontario General Contractors Association’s annual Leadership Day, held May 6 in Vaughan, ON. Read more in the Journal of Commerce.

April 2022: Canadian workers compensation boards reported that 924 workers died due to work-related causes in 2020. Authored by Sean Tucker and Anya Keefe, this report provides a jurisdictional comparison of work-related injury and fatality rates in Canada between 2016 and 2020 using data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC).

April 2022: April 28 is National Day of Mourning in remembrance of workers who lost their live to workplace injury and disease this year. A ceremony will be held on April 2 at 10:30 am at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver. Watch our co-director Chris McLeod’s message.

April 2022: A multidisciplinary team of researchers from PWHS and the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE) received funding from CIHR for a mixed-methods study that will critically assess the effect of COVID-19 policies on violence, bullying and harassment in the food and beverage service sector in BC.

April 2022: PWHS and the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE) are seeking (1) a Project Coordinator/Interviewer and (2) a Qualitative Research Lead/Interviewer to conduct a mixed-methods study that will critically assess the effect of COVID-19 policies on violence, bullying, and harassment in the BC food and beverage service sector. Please note that these positions closed on April 20, 2022.

February 2022: This scoping review examines barriers and facilitators to return-to-work in the construction industry. Findings suggest that work accommodations are possible but the physical nature and organization of labour present challenges for identifying suitable work. Evidence gaps include the role of unions, workers’ compensation systems, gender and industry-specific organizational characteristics in the return-to-work process. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.